A Whirr and a Blur

I was in a bit of a funk this afternoon. I sighed and sunk into the arm chair in the living room. The girls were gone; it was nearly 100 degrees outside; I had a week-long class starting at 8:30 in the morning, and the summer was nearly over, and I really missed my dog.

Just then a movement on the deck caught my eye. A hummingbird darted purposefully around the petunias in one of our hanging baskets. It's been a hot, dry summer, and we have several hanging and potted plants on our various porches and balconies. As such, watering them is a daily, sometimes twice a day, chore. And yet, this summer I have embraced this duty, patiently walking from the sink to the deck and back again 6 or 7 times until all the containers feel heavy and full. The plants are thriving.

I don't think I've ever seen a hummingbird around here, and yet there it was this afternoon, zooming and hovering in and out and all around, right outside the sliding glass doors. Some believe that the hummingbird is a symbol of renewal and joy, a reminder to live in the present and drink deeply of the nectar of the now.

Maybe.

Benefits of a Heat Wave

"Soften the butter," the recipe read.

I took a stick from the refrigerator and put it out on the deck for five minutes.

Et voilà! Parfait!

Girls and Boys, Continued

And today...

we shopped

for hours!

Girls and Boys

We have the goddaughters visiting here this weekend, ages 16 and 12. Times have changed in the nearly ten years since "the boys" Riley, Treat, and Josh were that age and regular guests during the summer. For one thing, every kid has some kind of electronic device, and their attention is very divided. Being away from home does not mean being out of touch with friends or parents and that definitely changes the dynamic of the visit. Truthfully, it's much more challenging to engage them when we are competing with such technology. 

We do our best though.  One of our favorite activities has always been to go to the pool, and since you can't have a device with you in the water, there's not much else to do but play and talk. And that's how we spent the late afternoon-- playing, yes, but mostly talking, which is the reverse of those hot summer days we spent in that pool with the boys. It actually turns out the biggest difference between this set of house guests and their past counterparts has nothing to do with gadgets.

 "If I had to describe myself in three words they would be intelligent, quirky, and caring," said one of the girls out of the blue as we treaded water in the deep end.

"Mine would be funny, silly, and nice," replied her sister in a conversation none of the boys would have initiated ever.

Related by Marriage

Heidi is teaching swimming lessons for the children of a couple of colleagues this summer. After nearly thirty years at it, she's pretty good, if I do say so. Kids love her big blue eyes, goofy humor, and that big bag of pool toys, and it's not a surprise to anyone who knows her that she refuses to take no for an answer when it comes to blowing bubbles and otherwise getting their faces in the water.

Today I ran into a teacher and her three year old daughter at school. "Do you know who Miss Tracey is married to?" my friend asked her daughter.

The little girl shook her head no solemnly.

"Miss Heidi!" her mom told her, and just like that I got the cutest little smile, all because my wife is so awesome.

Girl on Fire

"You can't have that!" an alarmed neighbor shouted at me this evening as I opened my front door. "There are embers flying everywhere!"

She was right of course. Not that my grill is actually a hazard, but it is technically against the rules of our homeowners' association. She was seeing my charcoal chimney at the point when it was ready to be emptied.

I looked at her dully. "Okay," I shrugged.

"I almost called the fire department!" she scolded me.

I nodded. That would be exciting, I thought.

Her dog was practically tugging her arm off. "Will you put that out?" she asked as her dog literally pulled her away.

"Yes," I called after her.

"When I'm done cooking," I added more quietly.

Oh Say Can You See?

So,

my family was generous enough to get me the electric uke for my birthday, and it's awesome! Unfortunately, though, the amp was back-ordered [until November!], and although I have been enjoying breaking in my cool new ukulele, it hasn't been quite what I was looking forward to.

So,

a couple of days ago, I took matters into my own hands and ordered a perfectly respectable 10 watt Fender amp.

And,

it was delivered today!

Friends, I cranked up the volume and hit the overdrive for a little distortion, and may I say? Jimi Hendrix has got nothin on my version of Jingle Bells!